The NRPB press conference (Sir Richard Doll) has occurred -- and they
had no balls (up against the industry/government)......!!!
(See Alasdair's
report below.)
Is anybody surprised????
Still -- in spite of their "sour grapes" attitude -- it is now a matter
of
public record: power lines are linked to higher incidence
of leukemia
... and other illnesses.......
Here is Alasdair's link, for the latest......
http://www.powerwatch.org.uk/news/news.htm
--
Roy Beavers (EMFguru)
roy@emfguru.com
WEBSITE -- http://emfguru.com
FAX: (USA) 417-588-1825
It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.....
PEOPLE ARE MORE IMPORTANT
THAN PROFIT$$$$$
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to
do nothing.
........Edmund Burke (1729-1797)
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Powerwatch
News Alasdair Philips Powerwatch Director |
 |
At last, the end of an era of denial. We have been pushing for this admission for 15 years now! Powerlines CAN cause cancer and other illnesses. A short version was on the front page of the Sunday Times on 4th March 2001. Many further details are below. Useful key References are given at the bottom of this document.
However, the NRPB report conclusions fail to mention (a)
any of the important Bristol work ~ Prof Henshaw's work is published in
peer-reviewed journals and Dr Alan Preece's work has been accepted for
publication and was sent to the NRPB for the committee to review; or (b) anything about
the de-activation of the breast cancer treatment drug, Tamoxifen, by magnetic fields above
1.2 microtesla. The NRPB have now accepted that magnetic field levels of over 0.4
microtesla have a significant effect on children, doubling the risk of their developing
leukaemia. In the light of this acceptance, their refusal to change their guidance
regarding planning and powerlines does a great public dis-service. I judge the
report as "appalling and incompetent", and I call for the NRPB function of
providing advice for the protection of the general public to be removed from them. They
are clearly not doing this, nor are they even providing an adequate commentary on
important current science as they even fail to mention the issues!
"Advisory
committees cannot be stuffed with the great and the good; they must include the lay public
and the doubters."
(New Scientist, 4th November 2000). The NRPB AGNIR group only
contains the 'great and the good'. It is clearly not adequate.
The UK National Radiological Protection Board have a very arrogant and exclusive
attitude. It is time they were replaced.
The text on this page has had quite a number of changes
and additions made today, Tuesday 6th March 2001.
The London Evening Standard is running a major new
story on this in tonight's edition.
Yesterday, on Monday March 5th, a German study was announced in the March 1st issue of the International Journal of Cancer (revised link now direct to the Abstract) that shows an increased risk of 3.21 (95% CI 1.33 - 7.8) of childhood leukaemia in children exposed to power-frequency magnetic fields of only 0.2 microtesla at night-time. For over ten years we have been asking that night-time exposure be separated out from daytime exposure, as it is at night that critical growth and repair processes take place in our bodies.
TODAY,
Tuesday March 6th, the NRPB's Doll Report Mk II (ELF Fields and the Risk of
Cancer) is released in Great St Peter Street, Westminster, London at 11 am. For
the first time the NRPB admit an association of increased risk of childhood leukaemia with
elevated magnetic fields. Genuine media attend ~ phone the NRPB on 01253 822 744.
Press copies of the new Report will be available at the Press Conference.
Although Prof Henshaw (et al)'s work has been published for a couple of years now, Sir Richard Doll's NRPB Advisory Group has never questioned him about his work. This seems odd for a group whose role is to advise on the importance of all new EMF related health research. You would have thought that they would have invited him to give a presentation and then given him a very hard viva-voce cross examination about the details of his work and hypothesis. How can they form a rightful judgement any other way? Dr Alan Preece's work showing a 50% increase in mouth cancer, a 30% increase in lung cancer, and a 14% increase in skin cancer near (and downwind) to high-voltage (132kV and above) powerlines should also have been considered. Sir Richard's NRPB AGNIR group have been sent details of these findings. They should be commented on in today's Report~ if not, why not?
We ask: "Is it a coincidence that the UKCCS Electric Field paper has been delayed by long over 6 months so that it comes out AFTER this Doll Report Mk II ?" We await the results from this electric field study with great interest. Why has it taken over three years to publish the results from this part of the study?
Other questions for Sir Richard could be: "On BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs, a couple of weeks ago, you said that the part of your work that you felt most satisfied with was discovering in the mid-1950s that there was no lower 'safe level' of ionising radiation. ALL exposure could cause cancer. Why then did it take a further 35 years for the UK NRPB to take up the same stance, and why did you testify at the Sellafield Gemma D'Arcy leukaemia case to say that pollution from the plant could not have caused her leukaemia. Because of your eminence in epidemiology, your dismissal of the evidence carried great weight in this High Court Case."
Dramatic new assessments of ill health near to
high-voltage powerlines by Professor Denis Henshaw of Bristol University. These
were given in February as 'advice to UK Government' and are available on his web site . He predicts excess
cases of:
2 - 8 cases of childhood leukaemia caused by overnight magnetic field exposure
above 0.3 microtesla
This estimate is mainly based on people living within 50 metres of
132 kV lines and above, but fields this high can be found up to a couple of hundred metres
from the highest power lines, and are also caused by 33 kV, 11 kV and even 240/415 volt
local overhead lines. People living within about 500 metres of overhead high voltage lines
are also exposed to Corona Ion effects which cause toxic aerosols to get electrically
charged and become more dangerous. We also find areas of the country where unseen and
uncorrected underground electricity distribution cables cause fields greatly in excess of
0.3 microtesla (uT). About 300,000 people in the UK live in residential magnetic fields
from external power lines of all sorts exceeding 0.3 uT. The only way to know is to have
your fields measured (by your electricity supplier) or hire a meter from Powerwatch
(£35/week) with instructions and measure them yourself.
14 extra cases of skin cancer
These are based on a risk assessment based on increased skin exposure to radon
radioactive decay products and other carcinogenic agents via the 50 Hz oscillation of
these particles within about 50 metres of high-voltage overhead power lines.
250-400 extra cases of lung cancer and a few thousand
other illnesses associated with air pollution
Risk assessment based on increased exposure to air pollution via
corona ion effects.
60 extra suicides and a causative factor in many tens of
thousands of cases of clinical depression
Considered biologically plausible via magnetic field exposure with
an apparent low threshold of 0.1 microtesla. 40% excess in suicide first found in
the West Midlands and published in 1981 (!!!!) but not admitted by the NRPB. Increase in
depressive illness that may be VERY widespread ~ a 2 to 3 fold increase found in severe
clinical depression, and a 2 to 3.6 fold increase in suicide among electric utility
workers.
For over five years, some multinational companies (including the World Bank) have been specifying low levels of power frequency magnetic fields (less than 0.2 microtesla, uT) for their new building designs.
A Swiss Ordinance (ORNI) that came into force on 1st February 2000 sets the maximum magnetic field from electricity supply installations at 1 uT. It requires the owners of such installations to arrange conductors and equipment in order to minimise magnetic fields that extent into work or living areas of property.
A document on EMF bio-effects from the Committee on Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection, known as Tamino proposals, was discussed by the European Commission. A version was then passed by the European Parliament in 1999 in plenary [10.03.99 item 19] but rejected by the Council of Ministers as too costly to implement. Proposals included one to limit ambient of power-frequency flux to about 0.2 microtesla.
The UK Power industry has already "given away" £2 billion sterling in the last few years: (a) as Directors and shareholder's bonuses and options, and (b) as a £50 refund to all UK electricity consumers on their bills about 5 years ago. We estimate that this would have been enough money to underground or move all the overhead power-lines over and close to groups of residential housing in the UK. BREAST CANCER: Since about 1995 there have been a series of peer-reviewed scientific papers from different laboratories showing a significant inhibition of Tamoxifen’s oncostatic function when the ambient power-frequency magnetic flux is 1.2 uT or higher. TAMOXIFEN IS ONE OF THE MOST WIDELY USED DRUGS TO TREAT BREAST CANCER. Although these findings have not yet been incorporated into any legislation, from a Health & Safety viewpoint it does give a valid cause for concern in the workplace. Will this be commented on in this new NRPB Report ~ we certainly hope so!The SwissRe 1996 publication "Electrosmog ~ a phantom Risk" should also be consulted as an indication of insurance industry thinking in these matters. In 1998 a working group of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences classified power frequency EMFs as a "probable human carcinogen" in the same category as DDT, although the final printed 1999 NIEHS report was weaker.
We are regularly called in to track down the causes of high magnetic fields in offices. Not only are these likely to cause direct health problems, but over about 0.8 uT they cause computer screens to flicker or shimmer. It is illegal, under the EU and UK Display Screen Regulations, for workers to use such computer displays. The causes include faults in internal building wiring and EMFs from local electricity substations and underground distribution cables. Eastern Electricity (now 24-7) and have recently been very positive about helping solve these problems, but Southern Electricity claim ignorance about the problem and have not been co-operative to date. We are currently involved in a dispute with East Midlands Electricity over very high (over 25 uT) fields from an old substation of theirs that are polluting a neighbouring office. They have refused to co-operate in installing shielding to reduce the severe problem, a very anti-social attitude.
We also know of several schools that had high fields (over 1 uT) due to internal wiring problems. I feel that power-frequency magnetic field measurements (which are easy to do) should be a regular part of maintenance inspections. This is not a reason to panic, but there is not good reason for ambient magnetic fields in buildings to exceed 0.1 uT. However, a precautionary approach is urgently needed.
See also the MEDIA FILE at Coghill Research Laboratories web site.
To find out further information you can call the Electromagnetic Hazard
& Therapy premium rate helpline anytime on 0906 401 0237 (£1.50 / minute)
UK Department of Health meeting (9th February 2001) launched £7m microwave related research fund. Preliminary outline applications to be in by 31st March 2001.
Previous NEWS
archived today.
REFs:
Childhood leukaemia and magnetic fields
Ahlbom A, Day N, Feychting M, Roman E, Skinner J, Dockerty J, McBride M, Michaelis J., Olsen J H, Tynes T and Verkasalo P K, 2000. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia, British Journal of Cancer 83(5), 692-698.
Greenland S, Sheppard A R, Kaune W T, Poole C and Kelsh M A, 2000. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields, wire codes and childhood leukaemia. Epidemiology, 11, 624-634.
Microwave News, Vol. XX, No. 5, September/October 2000, ISSN 0275-6595, PO Box 1799, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163.
UK Childhood Cancer Study Investigators (UKCCS)., 1999. Exposure to power-frequency magnetic fields and the risk of childhood cancer. Lancet, 354, 1925-31.
Childhood leukaemia, air pollution and parental exposure
Nordlinder R and Järvholm B, 1997. Environmental exposure to gasoline and leukaemia in children and young adults - an ecological study. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health 70, 57-60.
Pearson R L, Wachtel H and Ebi K L, 2000. Distance-weighted traffic density in proximity to a home is a risk factor for leukaemia and other childhood cancers. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 50, 175-180.
Savitz D A and Feingold L, 1989, Association of childhood cancer with residential traffic density. Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health, 15, 360-363.
Savitz D A and Chen J, 1990. Parental Occupation and Childhood Cancer: Review of Epidemiologic Studies. Environmental Health Perspectives, 88, 325-337.
Shu X O, Stewart P, Wen W-Q, Han D, Potter J D, Buckley J D, Heineman E and Robison L L, 1999. Parental occupational exposure to hydrocarbons and risk of acute lymphocytic leukaemia in offspring. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 8, 783-791.
Skin cancer
1. Fews A P, Henshaw D L, Keitch P A, Close J J and Wilding R J, 1999b. Increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage power lines. International Journal of Radiation Biology, 75(12), 1505-1521.
Assessment of Skin Doses. Documents of the NRPB, Volume 8, No. 3, 1997. Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 0RQ.
3. Preece A W, Iwi G R and Etherington D J, 1996. Radon, skin cancer and interaction with power lines. US Department of Energy Contractors Review Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, 17-21.
Increased exposure to air pollution near powerlines
Carter P J and Johnson G B, 1988. Space charge measurements downwind from a monopolar 500 kV HVDC Test Line, IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, 3, 2056-2063,
Erren T C, 1996. Re: Association between exposure to pulsed electromagnetic fields and cancer in electric utility workers in Quebec, Canada, and France. Am J Epidemiol, 143: 841.
Fews A P, Henshaw D L, Wilding R J and Keitch P A, 1999a. Corona ions from powerlines and increased exposure to pollutant aerosols. International Journal of Radiation Biology, 75(12), 1523-1531.
Fews A P, Henshaw D L, Keitch P A, Close J J and Wilding R J, 1999b. Increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage powerlines. International Journal of Radiation Biology, 75(12), 1505-1521.
Fews A P, Wilding R J, Holden N K, Keitch P A and Henshaw D L. Lung cancer risk estimate in people living near high voltage powerlines. To be presented at the 23rd Annual Bioelectromagnetics Meeting, June 10-14, 2001, St Paul, Minnesota.
McDowall M E, 1986. Mortality of persons resident in the vicinity of electricity transmission facilities. British Journal of Cancer, 53: 271-279.
Air pollution
Allen J O, Dookeran N M, Smith K A, Sarofim A F, Taghizadeh K and Lafleur A L, 1996. Measurement of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with size-segregated atmospheric aerosols in Massachusetts. Environmental Science Technology, 30, 1023-1031.
Cohen B S, Xiong J Q, Fang Ching-Ping and Li W, 1998. Deposition of charged particles on lung airways. Health Physics, 74(5), 554-560.
Harrison, R M, Smith J T and Luhana L, 1996. Source apportionment of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons collected from an urban location in Birmingham, UK. Environmental Science Technology, 30, 825-832.
Katsouyanni K and Pershagen G, 1997. Ambient Air Pollution Exposure and Cancer. Cancer Causes and Control, 8, 284-291.
Seaton A, MacNee W, Donaldson K and Godden D, 1995. Particulate air pollution and acute health effects. The Lancet, 345, 176-78.
Venkataraman C and Raymond J, 1998. Estimating the lung deposition of particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons associated with multimodal urban aerosols. Inhalation Toxicology, 10, 183-204.
Venkataraman C, Thomas S and Kulkarni P, 1999. Size distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - gas/particle partitioning to urban aerosols. Journal of Aerosol Science, 30, 759-770.
Depression & Suicide
Beale I L, Pearce N E, Conroy D M, Henning M A and Murrell K A, 1997. Psychological Effects of Chronic Exposure to 50 Hz Magnetic Fields in Humans Living Near Extra-High-Voltage Transmission Lines. Bioelectromagnetics, 18, 584-594.
Dowson D I, Lewith G T, Campbell M, Mullee M and Brewster L A, 1988. Overhead High-Voltage Cables and Recurrent Headache and Depressions. The Practitioner, 232, 435-436.
Perry F S, Reichmanis M, Marino A A and Becker R O, 1981. Environmental Power-Frequency Magnetic Fields and Suicide. Health Physics, 41, 267-277.
Perry S, Pearl L and Binns R, 1989. Power Frequency Magnetic Field: Depressive Illness and Myocardial Infarction. Public Health, 103, 177-180.
Poole C, Kavet R, Funch D P, Donelan K, Charry J M and Dreyer N A, 1993. Depressive Symptoms and Headaches in Relation to Proximity of Residence to an Alternating-Current Transmission Line Right-of-way. American Journal of Epidemiology, 137, 318-330.
Reichmanis M, Perry F S, Marino A A and Becker R O, 1979. Relation Between Suicide and the Electromagnetic Field of Overhead Power Lines. Physiology Chemistry & Physics, 11, 395-403.
Savitz D A, Boyle C A and Holmgreen P, 1994. Prevalence of Depression Among Electrical Workers. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 25, 165-176.
Van Wijngaarden E V, Savitz D A, Kleckner R C, Cai J and Loomis D, 2000. Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields and Suicide Among Electric Utility Workers: A Nested Case-Control study. WJM, 173, 94-100.
Verkasalo P K, Kaprio J, Varjonen J, Romanov K, Heikkilä K and Koskenvuo M., 1997. Magnetic Fields of Transmission Lines and Depression. American Journal of Epidemiology, 146, 1037-1045.
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--------------A459F586826E6BD1699231A4-- Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.emfguru.com